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GPE Grant Aims to Expand Access to Basic Education in Sierra Leone
During a 10-year civil war, most of the infrastructure in Sierra Leone lay in ruins.
After the war, this country had the lowest Human Development Index in the world, with 82 percent of its people living below the poverty line.
Sierra Leone suffers from insufficient food, poor shelter, high levels of illiteracy, and limited access to clean water.
For Sierra Leone, achieving universal quality basic education by 2015 is a top priority.
However, this country faces many challenges: 25-30% of children are not in school and most children face poor classroom conditions and lack sufficient textbooks and other learning materials. In addition, 40% of teachers are not qualified or adequately trained.
A Global Partnership for Education grant of US$13.9 million signed in 2008 aims to expand access to and improve the quality of basic education in this country, improve the standard of teaching and increase access to learning materials.
Another focus is the coordination and management of the education sector. Sierra Leone is in the process of building over 300 new classrooms, training around 1,500 teachers and distributing 25,000 text books.
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Last Modified: October 13, 2011
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